Lucas Cranach the Elder, 'Portrait of Johannes Feige', possibly early 1530s
About the work
Overview
The coat of arms on the left resembles that of Johann Feige, chancellor of Hesse (a state in central Germany) between 1514 and 1542, while the shield on the right may represent that of his mother. Feige moved in the same Protestant circles that employed Cranach, and is likely to have known the artist.
Johann was possibly in his early fifties when Cranach painted this picture, and the artist has masterfully portrayed the sitter’s wisps of thinning hair and pallid, jowly face. Although he is simply dressed, the diamond pattern on Johann’s coat suggests his clothing is of good quality and expensive. The money bag worn on his belt also hints at his wealth.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Portrait of Johannes Feige
- Artist
- Lucas Cranach the Elder
- Artist dates
- 1472 - 1553
- Date made
- possibly early 1530s
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 40.7 × 26.1 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed; Dated
- Acquisition credit
- Presented by John P. Heseltine, 1903
- Inventory number
- NG1925
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Susan Foister, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The German Paintings before 1800’, London 2024; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Exhibition history
-
2011Dürer, Cranach, HolbeinKunsthistorisches Museum Wien31 May 2011 - 4 September 2011Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung (Munich)16 September 2011 - 15 January 2012
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2014Strange Beauty: Masters of the German RenaissanceThe National Gallery (London)19 February 2014 - 11 May 2014
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2020Cranach: Artist and InnovatorCompton Verney14 March 2020 - 3 January 2021
Bibliography
-
1932M.J. Friedländer and J. von Rosenberg, Die Gemälde von Lucas Cranach, Berlin 1932
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1959Levey, Michael, National Gallery Catalogues: The German Schools, London 1959
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1974D. Koepplin and T. Falk, Lukas Cranach: Gemälde, Zeichnungen, Druckgraphik, (exh. cat. Kunstmuseum, 15 June - 8 September 1974), Basel 1974
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1978M.J. Friedländer and J. von Rosenberg, The Paintings of Lucas Cranach, revised edn, London 1978
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1997R. Billinge et al., 'Methods and Materials of Northern European Painting in the National Gallery, 1400–1550', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, XVIII, 1997, pp. 6-52
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
-
2024S. Foister, National Gallery Catalogues: The German Paintings before 1800, 2 vols, London 2024
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.